PROVO, Utah — BYU will face a second-straight ranked opponent as the No. 18 Baylor Bears take the Marriott Center floor on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. MT.
Matchup Breakdown
Wednesday’s meeting between the Cougars and Bears will be the fourth all-time meeting on the hardwood and first since 2006. The Nov. 16, 2006 game ended in a Baylor 84-58 win in Waco.
All-Time: BYU trails 1-2
In Provo: BYU trails 0-1
In Waco: 0-1
At Neutral Site: 1-0
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BYU RadioBYU Cougars (12-11, 2-8 Big 12 Conference)
LIGHTING IT UP FROM DEEP...AGAIN: The Cougars shot a blistering 47.5 percent from the floor and 38.9 percent from three in non-conference play, a top-10 mark in the country, and top-2 in the Big 12. In the first six games of conference play, BYU struggled from downtown, shooting 34.6 percent dropping as low as seventh in the conference in three-point percentage. Over the past four games, the Cougars have righted the ship, going 30-for-68 (.441) from behind the loop to lead the conference at 37.8 percent during Big 12 play (76-of-201).
BEHIND THE 1ST QUARTER 8-BALL: BYU is 2-10 when trailing after the opening quarter this season. In their first 10 Big 12 games, the Cougars have trailed after the first period in eight of 10 contests by an average of 5.4 points, going 0-8 in such games. In their eight Big 12 losses, the Cougars have surrendered 46.9 percent shooting to the opponent in the opening frame. BYU has led for a total of 26:29 (2.6 min/game) with five wire-to-wire losses. In two conference wins, BYU has led for 68:51 (34.5 min/game).
TURNOVER TROUBLE: Ball security is key to the Cougars’ success, however, BYU averages 17.5 turnovers per game so far this season. The Cougs have turned the ball over more than their opponent in all but three games this season and hold a 22-25 record when posting a negative turnover margin under Whiting. The Cougars turnover the rock 16.4 times per game and have given up 19.5 points off turnovers per game in conference play.
THE MORE YOU SCORE, THE MORE YOU WIN: BYU only scored more than 65 points in 15 of 33 games last year and garnered a 12-3 record when doing so. The Cougars have exceeded the 65-point threshold in 17 of their first 23 games and hold a 10-7 record when scoring 65 or more.
Head Coach – Amber Whiting
No. 18 Baylor Bears (17-4, 6-4 Big 12 Conference)
DOMINATING THE GLASS: The Bears are 13-1 this season when winning the battle of the boards and have done so in 14 of their 21 contests so far. Baylor has three players that average seven or more rebounds per contest with Aijha Blackwell leading the Bears at 8.5 rebounds per game. The graduate senior eclipsed 1,000 career rebounds in Baylor’s 83-60 win over Houston on Sunday. Blackwell has led the Bears’ rebounding charge 10 times on the season and in for of their last five games in which they have gone 3-2.
SHARING THE ROCK: The Bears are the 6th-best team in the country, 2nd in the Big 12, at sharing the love as they average 19.9 assists per game. Baylor boasts four players averaging 2.5 or more assists during conference play, led by Sarah Andrews who has recorded 40 assists in 10 Big 12 games.
FLOOR GENERAL ANDREWS: Andrews is the leader of the Baylor offense as she is the Bears’ second-leading scorer at 11.9 points per game while also notching 3.9 assists. The senior guard has scored in double-figures in 15 games this year and averages over a steal per game (1.3). She is also the only Bear to have played more than two seasons at Baylor.
EDWARDS' ON A ROLL: The Katrina McClain Award Top-10 Watchlist honoree is the leading scorer for the Bears at 12.5 points on a 52.1 percent clip while also pulling in seven boards and dishing 2.5 assists per game. The graduate senior has started all 21 games in her only season at Baylor, scoring in double figures in 17 of 21 contests.
Head Coach – Nicki Collen